For Whom the Bell Tolls
by ps01032160198913
Summary: "You were always talking about wanting a change, do you remember? Senior year, you kept on and on about doing something big with your life…and maybe, Aria, maybe this is it." It had only been a few days and already Aria had grown accustomed to liking the life here. Why, oh why the hell did it have to come with a catch?
1. Chapter 1

**Only just now decided to finally publish this because I realized it's 12/12/12 and I am a sucker for significant numbers/dates.**

**Anyway, I couldn't think of a fitting title (I am really really bad at giving titles, I hate it actually, it's like naming your children, it's not easy) so I decided to just name it after one of Ernest Hemingway's novels because I am in love with him and he's one of my favorites, and the title is pretty relevant to the story but in no way related to Hemingway's novel. I just thought the title was perfect for it. **

**So, here you go...I've kept this to myself long enough, I might as well post it now. :)**

* * *

"Move in together?" He asked, maintaining his best not to sound contemptuous as he was taught to behave in the most chivalrous manner as possible by his undeniably cultured parents - both of whom had brought him along - jumping country to country, teaching him of certain etiquette by many different figures ever since he was a young boy.

"Yeah, won't it be nice to have a change even for just a bit?" She replied with a controlled smile, too uncertain to grin widely in case he denied her offer, but far too excited to deprive herself from this happiness - so this median of a smile seemed to fit perfectly for now.

Leaning across the small round table, he held her hands and sighed softly. "Aria, you deserve this job. I've witnessed how hard you've worked for it, and to be honest, they couldn't have found a better candidate." He paused for a moment before telling her what she already knew. "But I've got a job here too - a good one, and that's hard to land these days."

"I know, I know, and I know that my asking is just me not being fair-" Aria nodded quickly.

"Fairness has nothing to do with it. But if you want to talk about fairness, if you want us to be fair with each other then I have to let you do what's best for you, not just what's best for me, and I don't doubt for a second you'd do the same for me if the roles were switched. And it's obvious that we love each other very much, we always will, you and I both know that...we knew that ever since we were both in diapers!" He added, making her laugh softly. Smiling back now, he was beyond glad that he had managed to make her happy even though they knew deep down what was going to happen next - the inevitable, the change that had been staring at them in the face for the past few days - ever since the letter from Yale University came in the mail, ever since she had mentioned the job offer that was going to change her life; with this, they were aware of the fact that a decision had to be made, and unfortunately for the the couple, the decision was to be made today, now, at this very moment.

"So, what do we do?" Aria asked softly, bringing themselves back to the reality of their situation.

"We do what we think we both deserve, what's best for us." He explained simply. "We've got other things planned for our lives, and there's no reason for us to ignore that fact, and hell, I wouldn't want you to miss this opportunity just because your childhood friend, the guy you have known for almost your entire life couldn't let you go. Also, we've been together for how long now?"

"Too long." She flashed a fleeting smile.

"Exactly...and that should be enough for the both of us. It has to be." He told her. He couldn't even tell people how many years they had actually been together, and he was certain that Aria herself could not tell as well. All they knew, what they had been told at least by their own parents, was that they shared the first day of kindergarten, holding hands as they entered the classroom. From then on, they rode the bus together, moved up a grade by grade, year by year, side by side, and eventually shared their first kiss in the middle of a dance formal - the awkward years of their middle school life. And when he was old enough to understand and distinguish the difference between his life and the outside world, he had been given a completely different path, traveling with his parents, and only then, he would pop in and out of Rosewood, or the States for that matter after a few weeks, sometimes months, and to Aria's dismay, her best friend and her best friend's parents would even be gone for a year and more. All the while, he had never failed to give Aria, his best friend, his soon-to-be lover, a hug and a kiss whether it was for his departure or arrival. And no joy could be compared to coming back to Rosewood and surprising her every single time with a new toy from Germany, or a box of chocolate from Switzerland, or even a pair of customized chopsticks from Tokyo that Aria - to his surprise - had used not for eating, but for putting her dark hair up in a clean bun. And another up he never got tired of was seeing the genuine gleam in her eyes, and her beaming toothy smile once he had given her the things he brought back with him while he was away. But not even that, what made it so special to him was the fact that Aria never asked for such things, never bothered him about whether or not he had gotten her gifts by the time he was coming back. She had always reacted sincerely but more importantly for him, she always seemed more excited with his coming back than seeing the materialistic gifts in his hands, and that was why he never stopped giving her the presents; the fact that she never asked made him want to do it even more.

"You're more than my childhood friend, you do know that right?" Aria reminded him. The two had created so many memories together that he was right. It should last them, their shared memories could last a lifetime, and not everyone were fortunate enough to have that, to have what they had.

"But I am. I am your childhood friend which is why it's okay. It works for us. I don't think it would work for anybody else, to be honest. You have to go, Aria. You have to take this. I want you to take this, not because I'm sick of you - oh no, I've been sick with you ever since preschool-"

"Oh, shut up!" Aria cut in, letting out a chuckle as she slapped his hand that still held her own. She listened to his laughter and realized how much she would miss it, and for a second, that sound coming from his mouth and deep from the back of his throat almost made her want to stay.

"But because I know you want this more than anything, and I'm not going to be the one to stop you. I don't want to be that person, okay? Plus, it'll be good for you. The change of scenery, new people and everything else that comes with it..." He pointed out to her while she nodded in agreement.

They had been here in Rosewood for far too long, and to be honest, she didn't even know how she endured living in this town. She could understand how he did not mind staying. As a young boy, he was used to moving from cities to cities, only coming back to Rosewood for holidays with his parents' old friends or whenever they decided it was time to save some money before traveling once again. Settling down was very much needed, and here in Rosewood, he had settled down perfectly and comfortably - he came to cherishing the idea of it as a matter of fact; how he had actual friends he could see growing old with, or how he did not have to try out new things in a different country or fear that he was doing something offensive in a native's eyes, and worse, he did not have to feel like a foreigner any longer. No, here in Rosewood, he felt secured and accepted, and less self-conscious while Aria itched to get out of this small town the way some of her friends had. Her high school best friends, Spencer Hastings, the daughter of a well-known lawyer and Yale professor, or even Emily Fields whose parents were born and remained loyal to their military background, the very same reason why Emily had turned out to be athletic, obedient, and all-around polished. These friends had moved on and Aria figured that it was time for her to do the same. He and she would have to switch places now, her the wanderer while he stayed behind by choice.

A group of loud teenagers entered the diner, causing a small ruckus for a moment before the waitress approached them. Aria suddenly became alert of the time and saw that she had to go soon; she needed to give the university a call back regarding the job offer, needed to plan out her schedule trip, and to pack some of her things, and say goodbye to some friends and to him.

"Don't let me hold you up." He chimed in. "We'll be okay, you know that."

Aria leaned in and squeezed his hands. "Come by and visit me, Holden Strauss. Or I will hurt you." She let out another soft smile before leaning all the way forward, pressing her lips against his, tasting the bittersweet taste of what would be their last intimate kiss.

Even though it was still officially summer, the leaves were way past orange and red, and most had already fallen off. Yale University gave a sense that it was everywhere, in a way that Aria would see a building that she knew was part of the university, a second later, she would find herself turning to another Yale building. It was as if it never ended, and admittedly, she herself did not know where exactly the territory line actually began and ended. All she knew was that every time she saw the brick, Gothic structured buildings with stone gargoyles guarding the roofs, she assumed were part of the university and did not question it any longer. A day of walking around in the crowded yet peaceful city had already taught her some things especially when it came to identifying Yale students, and those who are just passing by. Though it was not much of a challenge seeing as most of the students proudly wore their Yale shirts, caps, and more commonly, the Yale stickers displayed on the windshield of their cars that she had assumed were probably parent-owned anyway, or perhaps just plain vain college students who wanted to shout out to the world that they were Ivy-league material.

Aria had spent very little time setting up her one bedroom apartment as she did not bring too many belongings; she had told herself she would have to do a round trip back to Rosewood sometime during the weekend to grab a few more things, but did not ignore the other motivation, she had mainly wanted to see how Holden was holding up. After all, she did not intend in completely writing him out of her life. There was no way of doing such thing even if she wanted to because once people let others engrave themselves into their lives, there was no way of ridding them even if they claimed otherwise; and Holden was engraved in hers, as she was in his.

Crossing the intersection, Aria spotted Spencer sitting outside Au Bon Pain. She let out a relieved sigh, thankful that she had quickly educated herself with the turns and cuts of downtown New Haven, allowing her to perfectly arrive on time for her rendezvous with a friend she had not seen for almost two years.

"Wow, you have not grown an inch at all." Spencer stated as Aria rolled her eyes at her. It was strange to be in this certain comfort zone with someone she had not seen for so long; she supposed it never really went away, and she was grateful for that.

"And I see you still drink your coffee black." Aria peeked over, pretending to look at her friend's cup of coffee. "It's so good to see a familiar face." She breathed out as Spencer stood up to give her a kiss on the cheek before they sat back down.

"I know the feeling. First year college, all I remember was how much of a nightmare it was moving into my dorm. I'm pretty sure I have repressed memories from it all." Spencer went on, making Aria smile for a second. "But like with many things, you'll get used to it."

"Hopefully..." Aria licked her lips as she glanced behind Spencer's head, seeing a particularly handsome man perhaps around her age or maybe a little older, wearing a nice light blue collar shirt partnered with a pair of dark jeans, and with his hand on his mouth, his brow curled contemplatively, his other hand holding a book, while his eyes moved gradually from left to right and a hot drink resting on the table. A moment later, he had looked up, giving his eyes a quick rest, and noticed Aria watching him curiously just about two tables away so he offered an instinctive friendly smile before returning to his reading.

"That's Ezra. Ezra Fitz." Spencer informed her friend who did not seem to even notice that Spencer had glanced back to see what had caught Aria's attention. "Don't worry, you'll see more of him."

"I will?" Aria asked nonchalantly, slowly bringing her focus back on Spencer.

"Oh yes, he's also an English professor. Fifth year teaching here actually. You'll come to learn that the majority of young professors in this university only live a few blocks away. So, yeah, they are literally _everywhere_ like cigarette butts." Spencer grinned, whispering jokingly and ominously.

"Including you..." Aria added.

"That is also true." She grinned again. "You're in York Street, right?" Spencer shrugged and reached for her drink.

"Literally just behind you actually." Aria gestured over her head where her apartment building stood just a couple of blocks down. She shook her head, embarrassed for a second. "I don't know why I'm educating you in direction when you've lived here for almost half of your life."

"Yet I am still pretty terrible with directions." Spencer muttered.

"No need for modesty, Spence. Don't deny yourself, especially not with me."

Furrowing her brow, Spencer let out a dry confused laugh. "What are you talking about?"

"We both know you've got what...three-in-one for brains?" Aria stated frankly. "How else would you have gotten into Yale?"

"My parents." Spencer admitted without hesitance.

Tilting her head to the side, Aria looked at her friend intently. "That's not true."

"It's partly true." Spencer gave a small shrug.

"Okay, for argument's sake, let's say a portion of it _is_, but let's get real, even the son of...I don't know, the school dean for instance, even his son wouldn't get into the program if he had shit for brains so in your defense, Spencer, you got in because of you, not only because your mother works here." This explanation made Spencer laugh for a bit because Aria was right, and Spencer was flattered of course because of how true it was, and that Aria was brave enough to say it.

"Okay, enough for my ego boost..." Spencer said lightly.

"One more thing though-"

"Aw, c'mon!" Spencer threw her hands jokingly.

"No, no, no. I need to say it. Let me say it." Aria smiled warmly. "You have no idea how I'm indebted to you for giving me this chance."

"Hey, you said it yourself...you wouldn't have gotten the offer if it weren't for your master's degree."

"Speaking of, how did you know about that?"

"I bumped into your mother a couple of months ago. She didn't tell you?" Spencer studied Aria's eyes.

"Not that I know of." Aria said with a shake of the head. "She's forgetful-"

"Well, I saw her at the Union station. She told me she was invited to an art show here. She and I got to talking then somehow she slipped it into the conversation-" Spencer noticed Aria deflating from embarrassment. "Oh stop it, I'm glad she did because you're not the only one who needed to see a familiar face." Spencer gave a smile once she had finished professing her thoughts.

"Oh, where would we be without our mothers?" Aria thought out loud, and the two women shared a light laugh. "Anyway, I don't know how to repay you."

Swallowing hard, Spencer took a small sip before answering, avoiding Aria's eyes for a moment. "Take the job. Then we'll call it even." Spencer simply said as she put the cup back on the table.

As she crossed the Broadway Triangle, Aria juggled running errands, a hot morning beverage in her left hand, folders in the other, while pressing her phone against her ear, listening to Holden's voicemail.

_"It's strange not hearing from you within the first minute of my waking hour. I can't believe I just said that - I think it's the hangover, and yeah, I got pissed drunk last night celebrating your departure, good riddance right? So update me, how are you? How's the new place, and the food?"_

Aria rolled her eyes at the sound of Holden's voice, knowing fully that he was pulling lame jokes in order to sugarcoat his true feelings - he was missing her, she was confident in this because she was feeling the same.

_"Anyway, I ended up googling New Haven's zagat-rated restaurants, heard it has one of the best pizza places in the States. You better try that out for me. Oh, and how are the Yale kids? Are they as elitist as society makes them out to be or am I just being a prick? That's all for now. I gotta go start my day. Fill me in, bud."_

Waiting for the walk sign to change, Aria dialed his number and unfortunately, was automatically led to his voicemail. Impatient and fearful that she would forget to call him back later, she decided to leave her message now.

"Where should I start? Okay, the Yale kids. Well, so far, I'm to assume that they're all really young ridicuously good looking, rich white kids, with a few Orientals here and there. Did I just say Orientals? Ugh, I sound like a bigger prick than you. Anyway, they're pure braun and brains and beauty, and all that, it's pretty overwhelming. It's like waking up in a weird John Hughes movie except less funny and more intense, and real, and not at all like Sixteen Candles. And I haven't bothered looking up landmarks because I don't know if you remember this, but I came here for a job, not to go wild although I will write that on my to-do list. I'll have to try that pizza place with you some other time. I have absolutely no idea where that is and I'm too much of a coward to be roaming in this neighborhood alone. So, visit me when you can, okay? For heaven's sake, you own your own business. Don't be so hard on yourself, it wouldn't kill you to close the place for a day or two and come over here. It's like I don't mean anything to you! Take care of yourself, lovely. Bye-bye."

Aria wondered if Yale mornings were always like this - quiet, dewy, and a bit eerie, and she could see a bit of Rosewood from time to time, mostly from the giant towering trees, and the similar designs of some buildings. But this foreign-like city was more ominous than what Rosewood could ever be and it felt, if she were to be honest with herself, it offered a new sense of melancholia, and perhaps that was only because she did not know anybody else other than Spencer, and apparently, from what she had discovered through Spencer, Emily Fields had recently moved - and recent, in Spencer's terms, meant five years ago, and she had also taken up a job around the university although Spencer did not clarify whether or not they would be seeing each other.

Entering the building, and to the faculty room, Aria glanced around the room making sure she was in the right one before fully walking in.

"Don't worry, you're not lost." A voice crept up behind her, causing her to turn around.

"Oh, good. So, is it just us?" Aria joked as Ezra proceeded to enter the room, and she could not do anything else but follow his steps.

"I wish, but no, we're just the early birds." He smiled a little before going to the edge of the room, sliding up the board only to expose a bar that stored a coffee maker, mugs, cream and sugar, boxes of bagels, and all the likes.

Aria arched her eyebrows, impressed by the prepared room, and at Ezra's confidence although she felt a little pathetic - she had been already informed that he had been teaching here for years so she didn't know why exactly she was, for a lack of better term, _fawning_ over her fellow worker every time he moved around the room.

Soon after, the room had filled - chatters grew louder, conversations were shared by close friends and professors of the same department while Aria simply sat quietly in the huge swiveling chair, as Ezra sat across from her - occasionally shooting her a glance and a smile, as if to comfort her from the strangeness she must have been feeling in the swarm of the new faces, for he was once like her a few years ago, the start of being the new assistant professor, and he understood the nerves it created.

The meeting ended within an hour and a half, surprisingly short for Aria's expectation. But they had merely gone over the curriculum which, being the English department, tended not to be a complicated outline. Aria had learned that she was going to assist Dr. Marin who taught creative writing for graduates, and the doctoral program, while Aria had a hold on a lower level, mostly introductory classes and in a way, she was not at all assisting anybody due to the fact that she was given ten classes for the weekdays not counting Fridays - none of which were lectured by Dr. Marin. Perhaps they needed to give Aria a new more fitting title than "assistant" professor.

People were walking out of the room, one by one, as Aria, calmly collecting her folders, felt Ezra walking in her direction, and she had repressed a smile for what was going to happen next. But even before he could get to her, Aria felt a firm hand on her shoulder, and a husky voice that could only be of Spencer's.

"Come on." Spencer cautiously said, almost in a whisper. "There's a mandatory meeting so hurry up, you _really_ don't want to be late."

"Another one?" Aria commented and watched Spencer exit the room, making her rush out of the room, worried that she would lose her friend and miss another meeting. Seeing Spencer hurriedly walk in the middle of an empty hallway, Aria sighed heavily and glanced back, feeling rather awful for not even giving Ezra a polite and proper goodbye.

The two women walked to the very end of the long hallway, and Spencer swiftly entered the room to the right as Aria caught up with her.

"What's-" Aria let out but had stopped herself from continuing when she saw about a line of women sitting behind a huge maple-wood long table, their backs perfectly straight, their hair in flawless bun - not a strand sticking out, and uniformed black folders rested on the table before them. This sight had intimidated and immobilized Aria as it would anybody in her situation. This time, these stern-looking women were the early birds, and Aria evidently was the only worm around.

At the sound of the door closing, Aria swallowed hard and watched Spencer walk across the room, and took her seat next to Emily Fields. Widening her eyes for a split-second, Aria could not believe Emily was there, in person, and had only truly accepted it when Emily smiled and waved shyly at her. And next to Emily was her own mother, Pam Fields.

"Miss Montgomery, please feel free to take a seat-" The woman gestured at the seat in front Aria. "Or remain as you are, whichever you prefer." The red-haired woman said softly and clearly. This one, Aria knew was her own boss, Dr. Ashley Marin. She had done her research months ago and remembered her face, and learned to be familiar with it seeing as she would be working with the woman now and hopefully in the future as well.

Aria restrained herself from reacting once again, next to Dr. Marin was Veronica Hastings leading down to her eldest daughter Melissa, then Meredith who Aria met for a mere second during the English department meeting, and even then she wondered where Meredith had gone off to during the meeting and now her question had been answered, and the very last seat next to Meredith was, for some reason, empty. Aria wondered if that was a seat reserved for her...apart from all the other things she was wondering about right this moment.

"Thank you." Aria said faintly and accepted the seat in front of her; feeling odd that she was the only one sitting on one side of the table. She scanned the set of faces before her, their eyes trained to be vacant and reserved, and when her eyes caught Veronica's, she smiled politely and Mrs. Hastings smiled back and gave a nod. Apart from Dr. Marin and Meredith, Aria had known most of the women since she was just a little girl. Melissa's presence only felt real when Aria had taken another take and took a good look at her face - brooding as usual. Was this some sort of Rosewood reunion she did not know about? Was Ella about to storm in next? Was the empty chair for her own mother? Aria was dying to know what the hell was going on, but patience was a virtue and sooner or later, explanations were to be given.

The heavy door opened wide once again, and a young blonde woman entered the room in one fluid movement. Her golden hair was down and flowing in the free air unlike the rest of the women in the room. This blonde had carried herself lightly and with loud and open confidence.

"My apologies darlings, I couldn't forgo the coffee." The blonde woman, probably in her late 20s, calmly approached Aria as if she was an extinct animal. "So, you're Aria. Hmm." She flashed a wry smile.

"Cece, honey, please take your seat so we can begin." Dr. Marin ordered as smoothly as possible, her tone of voice was not threatening nor was it sweet, and Aria became impressed of Dr. Marin's self-control. Oddly, Cece as she was called, glided across the room in a swift yet graceful motion, and submitted to Dr. Marin's request like a daughter would to her mother. Aria watched on as the blonde filled in the empty spot next to Meredith, surprisingly causing a small twitch of disappointment inside Aria.

With seats all taken, women all concentrated on Aria that not even Spencer could offer a form of comfort the way Ezra had during her first meeting; in fact, Spencer even added to the pressure Aria was feeling now, and knew that this was much different than any meeting she had ever attended.

Dr. Marin did not waste time with the introductory, fully aware that Aria knew these women already, and had only informed her about Meredith and Cece who were apparently the Alumnis, along with Melissa Hastings. Instead, Dr. Marin went straight to the objective.

Her hazel eyes slowly opened, her irises greeting the early glow of the sun in the midst of a Saturday afternoon. Aria took a deep breath and rolled over her bed, catching a glimpse of the white and blue Yale folded handkerchief on her nightstand which demanded her plan for today. She was given a chance to think things over. Aria rolled on her back, stared at the ceiling as scenes of the meeting began to play over and over in her head._ Secret Intelligence Service. The SIS._ As Aria heard the words again, she tried her best not to scoff and roll her eyes at the banality of such name yet it continued to terrify her. _The Board of Members, the Alumnis, and the Under-rankings._ Being an Intelligence. And before she could delve into a more deeper thought process, her phone rang loudly and vibrated against the wooden nightstand.

"Hello? Yes?" Aria quickly answered, sitting upright. "Okay, okay, I'll be down in five." She answered while climbing out of bed, forcing herself to function for today.

Aria hugged herself tightly, battling the cold wind as she headed to Au Bon Pain on a full speeding pace, and from afar, she saw Spencer sitting under the same table outside the cafe.

"Afternoon." Spencer smiled - seemingly a lot more friendly than the other day. Apprehensively staring back at Spencer, Aria did not sit down until Spencer gestured, _insisted_ on it. "Coffee?" Spencer offered the untouched cup of drink and moved it closer to Aria.

"What the hell Spencer?" Aria began.

"What?" Spencer instantly retorted.

"You know what! Why the hell did you even bring me into this?"

Spencer glanced around and leaned forward. "Please keep it down."

"See? It's when people say things like that that make me not want to do this." Aria whispered harshly.

"Stop exaggerating and be a little bit more grateful, would you?" Spencer stated as she leaned back into her chair. "Be flattered at least."

Aria looked at her incredulously and cocked an eyebrow before crossing her arms above her chest once again. "You didn't even really invite me here for that teaching job, did you?"

Tilting her head and with sympathetic eyes, Spencer straightened up again. "Stop thinking like that, okay? I got you here for both jobs. Fine, that's true. I admit that. And of course you deserve this job. You're perfect for it, you have the degree and the brains, and everything, but..."

"But it's not _really_ the job I came here for, is it?" Aria cut in.

"No...it's just-" Spencer paused and bit her lower lip.

"A cover-up. You can say it, Spence."

"Yes, a cover. Fine, okay. Okay." Exhaling sharply, Spencer glanced around again before looking at Aria straight in the eyes. "Listen, nobody is forcing you to take the job. You don't _have_ to take the offer, but if you want to teach here as well, the other job is sort of piggybacked into this - no actually the other way around, if you want to keep the teaching job-"

"I get it, Spencer. Apparently, according to the _Board_-" Aria gestured with her fingers around the last word. "I'm an Intelligence, remember?" Aria snapped.

"I'm just saying, I never would have pushed this to the Bo-to them if I knew you weren't up to task." Spencer stated and Aria hated feeling the instinctual flattery in her stomach, but it felt good having someone tell you of your abilities, and how competent you were or how you belonged in a place, so how could she turn this down without hating herself? Spencer licked her lips before continuing. "But I just want you to know that you'd be the first to turn it down."

"What are you implying?" Aria squinted at Spencer, accusing her of the obvious arrogance.

"I'm saying...that not many _would_ turn this down." Spencer gave a dry side smile, exposing a single dimple. "Aria, _think_ about it. You're smarter than you think. You can do it, and I'll be there. Partner in hand." She pressed on. "But if you really don't want to...then fine, I'll tell the Board I did everything I could to get you to accept it, they won't waste time feeling disappointed and all that sentimental crap, and you'll go back to Rosewood the same day, and we'll just have to find another combination of an Intelligence and an assistant professor." She shrugged lightly. "Which I'm sure won't be that hard to find, but know this, I chose you because I _know_ you, since we were teenagers, and I trust you. That's why I called you up here. Not because of anything else or for selfish reason, no, I thought you'd want this anyway. You were always talking about wanting a change, do you remember? Senior year, you kept on and on about doing something big with your life...and maybe, Aria, maybe_ this_ is it."

Aria drew her head back and shut her eyes, feeling trapped by her friend's words and conditions. It had only been a few days and already she had grown accustomed to liking the life here. Why, oh why the hell did it have to come with a catch?

"That is just so unfair, Spencer. Do you not see how unfair you're being?" Aria simply replied like a child that had been cheated in a game. It was as if Aria was offered a piece of paradise only to have it taken back unless she did something in return, and the knowledge of such paradise, the knowledge of its existence, outweighed the condition that she was forced to commit to, that she had to carry before enjoying everything else fully and without guilt.

"Do you remember what you said to me not too long ago? How I got here not because my mother is a Yale professor...but because of myself and my own ability? Well, I'm saying the same thing to you."

"Nice. Well done. Thank you so much for using my own words against me." Aria countered sarcastically.

"That's not what I'm doing." Spencer weakly defended. "I'm just trying my best to convince you to stay and think about it...but fine, I guess that was under the belt, a low blow, even for me." She chuckled and the two were forced into this long, dreadful silence.

"Welcome to the _sisterhood_." Aria reflected dramatically, changing her serious tone a second ago into a full-on mockery and theatrics. She imagined Dr. Marin and the rest of the Board Members sitting behind the long table, stunned at the new girl's courage to mock the exclusive "organization".

Spencer burst out laughing. "I know. It sounds like a bad Disney tween cult, right?"

"You thought that too?" Aria replied with a huge grin plastered on her face.

Nodding vigorously, Spencer sighed and simmered her own laughter, surprised at the lack of control she had just now experienced. "You'll get used to it." Spencer stated and waited for the atmosphere to come back to its previous uneasiness and tranquility. "So...what do you say?" Spencer carefully brought back.

"I say-" Aria said, thinking to herself once more before sighing. "I say we're even." She admitted, making Spencer smile softly. "When I came here, you know what I really just wanted? Without the whole secret service thing..." She whispered the last part, actually afraid that someone would hear them.

"Mhm-hmm?" Spencer played along.

"Just to have a job, correct essays, write, and write more, sleep, and go to work the next day, have a cup of coffee, and grade more papers, maybe inspire a student-or something like that. That's all I wanted..." Aria spilled out and heaved a breath from listing all of the things she wanted, wished to do here.

"Ha! Inspire a Yale student? Please, they're too busy being inspired with themselves." Spencer exclaimed, getting a rise out of Aria. "And hey..." Spencer reached for her friend's hand. "You can still do that you know? All of those things you just said? You can, trust me on that. You'll just have to do that while doing other things too."

"Exactly what would those other things be?" Aria moved her head to the side. "Because I gotta be honest, Spencer, I'm not a crime fighter. I can't do all that running and shooting, and negotiating and bribing...whatever else they expect me to do."

"Hey, don't think about that yet, okay? You know what you should be worried about right now?"

"What?" Aria asked eagerly although her mind focused on the _yet_ part of Spencer's previous comment.

"What you're having for lunch." Her lips curled into a smile as she got up from her seat. "C'mon, I know a place not too far from here. You in the mood for hummus?"

"Are you kidding me? I'm always in the mood for hummus." Aria replied as she hid her hands deep inside her sweatshirt pocket.

The women crossed Temple street and headed down to the New Haven green as the wide and dominating Yale buildings protected them from above, the thinning trees dancing gracefully, while buses and cars zoom and halt through the narrow roads, and the people busily shuffling in and out, and along the city, adding their own serenity and secrecy to all of the streets they walked on.


	2. Chapter 2

**It's December 25th. Why not?**

**- Queen**

* * *

Aria splayed the papers on the carpeted floor as she towered over them, skimming through the words and hoping she got all the facts written correctly.

One paper had two pictures; the Fields. 'Pam Fields'. Wife of 'Sergeant Wayne Fields'. S_upplier. Aid. Military background._ Then onto another paper, it said: 'Dr. Ashley Marin'. _Head of Finance, sent daughter away due to compromised SIS, divorced_. And an uncompleted sheet with Veronica's face on it: Veronica Hastings. _Head of Justice, lawyer, ex-wife of former Superintendent Peter Hastings._ The last two papers were of the Alumni: Melissa, Meredith, and Cece, and these papers did not have much data on it other than their full name, age, and specialties.

Too occupied with this obsessive activity, Aria failed to hear the apartment door opening and Spencer coming into her bedroom.

"What's all this?" Spencer asked as she stood behind Aria, one hand on her hip, the other raised holding a cup of coffee.

"Holy sh—" Aria pivoted on both feet and lost balance, but quickly gathered herself up in a matter of seconds. "How'd you get in?! You—" She huffed out a breath through her nostrils and did not even bother to continue on. "What are you doing here? How'd you get in?"

"Don't underestimate me." Spencer said solidly. "What's this? Why do you have…my mother's face on your floor?"

Aria stood up and rested both hands behind her lower back, and looked down at the papers proudly. "Oh, I just…I needed to organize and learn the facts. So, I don't embarrass myself if they ask me or quiz me—" She admitted.

In the midst of organizing these facts, she had come to learn that the Board members all had something in common; no husbands, although Pam Fields was the only who remained to be married but her husband, Wayne, was rarely ever in the picture, and far too busy with his own service in the Middle East. Aria could only assume that Professor Fields only got in contact with her husband through phone and video calls, but that was just it, these ladies were physically and emotionally disconnected with other authority figures.

"They're not going to quiz you, Aria. This isn't middle school." Spencer said.

"Well, you never know."

"I do know. I've been through this." Spencer turned to her finally. "This is very detailed and very nice, but ultimately useless and stupid."

"…Excuse me?" Aria shot Spencer a sour glare. "Do you know how many hours this took?"

"It's stupid, very stupid. For heaven's sake, you're supposed to be an Intelligence!" Spencer repeated before reaching down to grab a paper filled with a Member's personal information.

"Oh, right! I'm _so_ sorry! I forgot I was an Intelligence! Like it's supposed to actually _mean_ something!" Aria retorted impulsively. "You know what? Before you lash out on me, how about telling me what I can can't do first? Or better yet, I don't know, just any general information that would prove to be useful in the future, at least for me?! That would really help! Because to be honest, I don't know what the_ hell_ the Board wants from me."

Spencer stepped closer to her. "You can't have _these_ lying around your apartment! What if somebody finds them, Aria? Did you miss the whole _secret_ aspect of all this or do you just not care?" Spencer continued, getting irritated as the seconds grew longer. "What are you gonna do with these papers after you've memorized all these facts? Throw them in the garbage? Recycle 'em? Shred them to strips?"

"Or burn 'em…" Aria grumbled under her breath.

Spencer shot her a cold glare. "Get rid of these. _Now._" She demanded as Aria gave her a long, silent and defiant look. "I mean it." Spencer added.

Sighing, Aria squatted back down and began stacking the papers randomly. She glanced back at Spencer who was ambling around the apartment, studying and examining her things with a judgmental posture. It was as if Spencer was a completely different person - and Aria should have guessed that once people got what they wanted, it was no doubt that sooner or later, they were bound to act differently and in this case, Spencer had gotten more serious and rather grim with her.

"What brought you here anyway?" Aria asked indifferently as she stashed the papers into a folder.

"You want general information? How about this? You, the good guy—yes?" Spencer pointed at Aria. "Catch the bad ones. Is that general enough for you?" Spencer remarked as Aria slapped her hand away.

"You know, if you're going to be this snarky, and not in a pretty way mind you, then don't be surprised if you barge into this apartment next time and see it empty. I could get another job without the abuse, I should have done that in the first place." Aria threatened as she flared her nostrils at her friend - or right now, co-worker seemed to be more appropriate. She would assume a friend would not speak to a fellow friend in this manner. Aria headed for the living room, deeply yearning to talk to someone nice, Holden would be nice, but she knew he was busy at this time of day, and she couldn't always depend on him every time she was in a bad mood.

Spencer remained still, blinking repeatedly before letting out a loud sigh. "Aria—" Spencer called out and followed her friend. "I'm sorry, okay? It's just…I had a rough weekend." She confessed as the two women lingered in the living room.

"That doesn't give you the right to treat me as your punching bag." Aria pointed out as she collapsed into her couch.

"I'm aware of that—I'm sorry, really, I am." Spencer insisted and awaited Aria's response.

"What happened anyway?" Aria asked, looking up with eyes lifted at her.

Spencer glanced around the room for a second then turned back to Aria. "What?"

"Rough weekend, you said?" Aria reminded her and watched as Spencer plopped down beside her.

"Oh, yeah. Just a rough weekend." Spencer gestured nonchalantly with her hand, blowing it off.

Aria cocked an eyebrow at the lack of details she was receiving. "Does it have anything to do with what we're doing now?" Aria continued.

Shifting her body to face Aria, Spencer nodded meekly. "I…" She hated admitting her mistakes. "I botched a Sunday job. I don't think the Board is very pleased with me."

"What happened?" Aria sat up, curling her legs eagerly.

"Can we not? I really don't want to relive it again. And I shouldn't even be telling you this in the first place."

"Alright…fine, as long as you let me be yours and vice versa, then punch away." Aria offered.

"I miscalculated the time, the guy got away, Cece gave me a mouth full, my mother said nothing which if you really knew her at all, her saying nothing at all is a bad thing." Spencer spilled in one quick exhale.

Aria nodded quietly and brushed her hand over Spencer's. "Now that I'm here, all the screwing up will be on me." She predicted.

"Pessimism at its finest." Spencer commented and chuckled at Aria who shrugged softly. Their moment of silence was cut short by three beeping noises coming from Spencer's phone. "Must be them." She pointed out.

Sitting up sluggishly and still half-asleep, Ezra ran his hand across his jaw giving it a scratch before letting the bottom of his feet touch the cold wooden floorboard. It was quarter to seven, the sun just shy away from its full exposure and crowning the autumn sundry trees just outside the apartment building, and his own bedroom window.

Ezra let his eyes adjust to the light and once he had felt comfortable enough to continue on, he glanced to his left where the night stand which was made in oak wood stood in its place. This morning ritual that was about to take place, this sadistic and demanding routine, was never forgotten by him, by choice yes, and sometimes by a sick and sad overwhelming nostalgia. And even though he knew in his heart that it was healthier to stop such habit, by whatever power it had over him, love mostly, moving on still did not feel right. Perhaps he had not enough reason to stop in the first place or perhaps the new somebody had not come into his life yet as to give him a better reason to forget.

Pulling out a small drawer attached from the night stand, Ezra set his eyes on a small square box and consequently took it out of the drawer. As his fingertips felt the velvet fabric of the box, Ezra breathed deeply before opening it, revealing an engagement ring - the size of its diamond far too boastful for someone of his profession, and evidently, money did not pose as a problem for the young professor.

Ezra took the ring out and stared intently at it, not even allowing his focus get interrupted by blinking, instead his eyes, which appeared to be metallic blue in this particular morning light, remained fixated on the ring; his pupils reflecting over his past, exposing a trace of a certain ache that only a woman could have caused. Placing the ring into his palm, Ezra clenched his jaw as tightly as possible while feeling the molding of the ring inside his closed hand.

They were wide hallways, with thick heavy doors structured on each side that led to huge classrooms; they were, as usual, empty with only a few early students walking and heading for their morning classes - often the lesser responsible students who had signed up late for classes last semester and were forced to register for open classes and often those were the eight in the morning type of classes, the ones nobody ever wanted to take by choice, not even Yale scholars, unless they were morning people themselves. Ezra, with only a medium sized cup of coffee in his hand, ambled in the middle of the hallway - his pace tired and unenthusiastic for his first class of the year. He loved teaching, and this lack of excitement did not mean anything when it came to teaching itself. It was simply too early to be happy, and for absolutely no reason. However a wholly new person would always take over when Ezra did begin his class - someone full of life and had carried a philosophical heart, and surprisingly to his appeal and to his students, he actually had jokes up his sleeves.

From the distance, Veronica Hastings could be seen walking in his direction. Ezra took a sip of the beverage and dreaded for the inevitable moment where he and Veronica would have to exchange greetings. Ezra always studied the way Professor Hastings walked - smoothly and with haste, as if she had been called for an emergency concerning the death of a loved one, her walk always so quick-paced and alert with such grace and power. Not more than five feet away, Veronica had given him the usual smileless 'good morning' and in return, Ezra gave a polite nod.

"Ezra—" Veronica said to him before he could continue on walking.

"Yes?" He replied indifferently.

"Would you please take the time to see me in my office at 8? It's important." She ordered gently and saw Ezra's face and its effort of hiding his surprise; and that was expected of him. They were in a different department so what business did she have in talking with him? So by process of elimination, he knew that it could only be about one thing, a matter he no longer desired to discuss, especially not with her.

"Sure." Ezra simply said and caught that fleeting glint in her brown eyes - the very same glint he had always hated receiving. The glint that bonded them, the look which symbolized self-pity and tacit sympathy between the two. Swallowing hard, Ezra turned the corner and headed farther down the hallway that led to his classroom.

Entering the wide meeting room, Professor Hastings did a quick scan of the faces around her and was silently pleased that all the women were here. Discipline was, if not, the most valuable virtue for Veronica Hastings and she never let her two daughters ever forget that fact - which in some way, their being here was Veronica's fault. If she hadn't raised them so obediently and as said, disciplined, her girls would not even be here in the first place, who seemed to be trying to gain their mother's approval even after all these years. If things were different, she imagined the girls would be off somewhere else, following what they wanted to do instead of fulfilling or seemingly following their mother's orders. But she secretly enjoyed this, having her girls here instead of being with their father who had run off with a young Yale adjunct professor two years ago. Veronica took pride in having her daughters in the service, even though she had told them otherwise - a well-worn facade on her part.

In this room, where they all met, affection was not welcome - in order to avoid compromising the seriousness of their objective, for feelings often got in the way of many things, in and outside of the room. Despite their connection in this room, the Alumni and the younger girls rarely ever made interaction outside their meetings, as a way to disguise themselves, to ward off any suspicion if ever there were to be any.

Aria's eyes danced back and forth between the women, awaiting the start of the meeting. The intimidation had dissipate within the first week, having the chance to get to know the members. This was how it always started ever since she moved here for the job. Morning meetings with the S.I.S or 'sisterhood' - a term Aria hated and found rather disgustingly lousy so instead she decided to simply refer to it as the Meeting.

Wrapping up their short fifteen-minute meeting, Dr. Marin's words sunk in and had put Aria in an inner panic. First job. Drug courier. Tonight. Crown street. Cece, Emily, Spencer, Aria, and Jenna. Did she hear that right? Spencer shot her a glance across the table, answering her very personal question with a yes.

"Don't pull a Spencer, dearie." Cece whispered to Aria as they walked out of the room. Too occupied to respond, Aria stood still to watch Cece walk in front of her, her free flowing hair bouncing at each energetic step, and her wild pink-orange dress that reached down to her ankles shaped her curvy body and without a doubt, attracted the young male students or anybody who appreciated beauty, and those who were lucky enough to even share the same hallway with the blonde beauty.

Then all of a sudden, Aria felt a quick strong impact against her back and the sound of objects falling on the ground causing her to turn around.

"Sorry! I'm so sorry, Jenna. Are you okay?" Aria asked as she bent down to pick up Jenna's phone.

Jenna, fixing her blouse and hair, gave Aria a close-mouthed smile. "It's okay. It was my fault. I wasn't looking." She said.

"Not the best way to greet someone on their first day of…you know, this." Aria gestured at the room, and the first official meeting that pertained to their first real job and none of that training crap. "I'm sorry." She repeated as Jenna's phone started to ring, flashing the phone's wallpaper and caller. "Oh, here, that's for you." Aria glanced at the phone and smiled as Jenna took her phone back, declining the call instantly.

"See you tonight." Jenna said before trailing off in her own direction and Aria went the opposite direction after collecting her things on the floor.

Spencer caught up with her friend as Cece, at the very end of the hallway and before turning the corner to the C-wing, looked back and gave Spencer a wink.

"Ugh." Spencer let out, shaking off Cece's sarcastic wink. Turning to face Aria, she leaned down a bit. "What did she say to you?"

Aria blinked a few times before looking at Spencer. "What? Jenna? Nothing, I—"

"Cece. You two were talking?" Spencer reminded her and saw Aria trying to recollect the moment.

"Oh—" Aria forced a smile and shrugged. "Nothing big. She just…wished me good luck for tonight."

"Well, don't get too comfortable. She uses plenty of terms of endearment, but don't mistake that for affection. Cece can be real cold when she wants to be." Spencer informed while Aria gave her a quizzical look. "Hey, we're outside the room. I can talk about them if I want to."

"Seems like Cece's not the only one who can be cold when she wants to be." Aria stated and nudged Spencer to reassure her that she was merely joking. "Can I ask you something?" Aria let out in a quieter voice as Spencer nodded in response, eager to answer anything. "Why do _we_ have to be there? I thought we—"

"You'll see."

"And why is Jenna going?" Aria whispered under her breath. "I would have assumed she hasn't received enough training like they did with me."

"She's going because she volunteered to. If she wants to prove herself early then so be it." Spencer said plainly. "And all she's going to do is sit inside the car and tell us where to go. It will be a piece of cake for Jenna."

"Hmm." Aria let out, unconvinced.

Sighing, Spencer stood still and they moved to the side to talk. "Listen, you can't really expect us to just sit behind the desk, pulling up hacked information and tracking people with GPS or whatever the hell Jenna does with her computer. One important thing is that we all count, we all have to do the job at some point, and share responsibilities and rewards. Would a smart person put all of her eggs in one basket?"

"I feel like that is a very broad question with a very subjective answer." Aria replied and pressed her lips together bracing for Spencer's reaction.

"No! The answer is no because if you do, chances are you'll lose them all at once…so you put them in different baskets."

"This isn't making things any clearer for me, Spencer. I say that's a very poor analogy. What does an egg have to do with tracking a drug mule?"

Spencer breathed through her nostrils and squinted at Aria who was stifling her laughter. "Real funny."

"Excuse me for enjoying seeing you get all worked up." Aria grinned. "I'll see you later. Gotta get on with my other job." Aria added; sarcasm unintended.

"Something normal for once, right?" Spencer commented, making Aria chuckle dryly.

The sound of the bottom of his shoes tapping against the floor reminded his diminishing desire and patience to be in this office. Checking his wrist watch, Ezra watched as the hand hit eight o'clock sharp and the click of the door simultaneously matching the time where Veronica had greeted him abruptly before heading to her seat, facing him.

"Thank you for waiting." Veronica started as Ezra raised his eyebrows for a quick second, acknowledging her gratitude although he found it to be unnecessary.

"Is there something I can help you with, Veronica?" He questioned as frankly as possible, not wanting to waste time as he would rather spend the rest of it somewhere else - eating dinner and resting perhaps.

"I wanted you to know that…" Veronica adjusted her dark blazer. "I found them." Her breathing became deep and heavy and she could see that this statement had piqued Ezra's interest, as predicted. This was the only thing, other than working in the same university, this was their degree to each other.

Driving along Crown street, Cece followed Spencer's black mini cooper which blended well with the night. The streets were quiet as Monday was the least exciting day of the weekend so it did not come as a shock to see the parking garage almost completely empty.

Claiming the backseat all to herself and her gadgets, Jenna turned on her laptop. "Head to the third level." Jenna informed Spencer who drove comfortably, following Jenna's directions. All the while, Aria who suddenly decided to become selectively mute once they started, sat and observed their surrounding, familiarizing herself to it. There were two four-leveled parking garages around Crown street and several blocks away was the hospital, and in the opposite direction were the restaurants, hotels, and the downtown itself.

"Don't you just love Cece for packing us three in this car like sardines while she keeps the Escalade all for herself?"

"Don't worry Spencer, one day you'll have an Escalade too." Jenna quipped as she and Aria exchanged glances, cracking smiles in between it.

Spencer rolled her eyes - feeling irritated that she was not being taken seriously thus making it seem like she was being the oppressor toward Cece when it was all Cece's doing. In Spencer's eyes, Cece was the playground bully. But unlike others, Spencer always took things seriously and only under few circumstances did she do the opposite - she wondered if Cece was picking on her for the mere fact that her mother was one of the board members and her chances of being kicked out was slim, or was Cece doing this because of an actual personal vendetta toward Spencer; oddly enough, Spencer hoped for the latter part because for her, it would mean that the blonde Alumni was envious of some part of Spencer.

"I'm very much happy with my baby cooper. I just hate the fact that Cece takes advantage of being an Alumni just because she can."

"Well, you know what they say about bullies and the bullied." Jenna commented.

"No, what?" Spencer answered.

"It means the bully lik—" Jenna's punchline had gotten cut off by the short crackling sound of the transmitter.

"Hey honey, is there any way for you to drive your hot wheel a little faster? Might I remind you that we're tracking someone down, not setting them loose?" Cece remarked and the static from the transmitter had subsided once she stopped speaking.

Spencer pursed her lips and took the deepest breath she possibly could before grabbing the transmitter out of Jenna's hold. "Bored and all alone in our Escalade aren't we, Cece?" She retorted. "I could send Jenna or Aria if you want a companion…" She glanced at Jenna who shook her head vigorously at the thought of being in Cece's company.

Another static cut through the transmitter. "Moving? No, no, no. No one is moving to another vehicle. You're gonna spoil everything." Emily's wary soft voice came on.

"Em, sweetheart, loosen up a bit." Cece replied. "And Spencer couldn't possibly mean it. She needs the support from the girls more than I do…especially after her last blunder."

Shutting her eyes, Spencer clenched her jaw at the comment as Aria snatched the transmitter from her hand.

"How do you work this thing? What—no, Jenna—" Aria's voice came through the transmitter - sending it to Emily and Cece. "What button? This one, right? What do you mean it's going?" Aria's voice and the shuffling of cord and her hand continued on, getting a genuine laugh out of Cece.

Veronica displayed the photos on her table. Lifting her eyes at Ezra, she examined his face as he concentrated on the photos of Peter Hastings and Jackie Molina walking hand in hand, oblivious of the fact that they were being photographed. Fuming with suppressed anger, Ezra leaned back against his chair.

"So what?" He countered as he balled up his hands into fists.

Sighing deeply, Veronica collected the photos. "It means you can't do whatever it is you're planning to do."

"And what is it exactly am I planning to do?" Ezra asked with creased eyebrows. "Please, enlighten me."

Veronica tilted her head at him. "Don't play me as a fool, Ezra. I know the lust for revenge when I see one, but unlike many, I've learned that it's never the right thing to do."

"And your husband stealing my fiancee is?" He snapped back.

Veronica breathed in sharply at the thought, the irreversible truth. A part of her wanted to take blame and because of this tragedy, she wondered her own ability, her quality of being a wife. Was she not good enough for Peter that he decided to find someone else? Or was it simply just temptation, the taste for scandal, and their carnal attraction that he and Jackie submitted to?

"You have to back off, Ezra." Veronica demanded once more.

Ezra scoffed and shook his head before leaning in. "Give me one good reason." He said solidly.

"She's pregnant." Veronica shot back and saw the sudden change of his face - not contempt nor anger, but rather, defeat.

Fixing the collar of her leather jacket, Cece got out of the Escalade and bent over to level with the side mirror, checking her face. Her beauty was often used as a weapon, and the easiest weapon to use in fact - all she had to do was look good, distract the man or men - depending on the job, as the girls go on with their individual job - breaking into the men's office, stealing classified information that would lead them to more information about any suspected illegal business, and sometimes, just a plain stakeout would do, and once they had the clear evidence, the Board would take it from there. They were merely an instrument - for the betterment of the city, even if what they were doing was undoubtedly a little unorthodox like Robin Hood stealing from the rich to help the poor. But the pay off was not only knowing that they had gotten rid of one less evil in the city and fulfilling their morale ground, the pay also consisted of new cars, apartment or condos of their choosing, and money, a large sum of money that a two-year with the Board would set them fairly well for the next ten years or so.

Cece purposely disheveled some strands of her long hair, and reached down to fix her boots taking the opportunity to sneak in a feel of the knife hiding snugly inside, just in case the night was in the mood for surprises. This transformation had turned Cece into a pure vixen, a true femme fatale and she knew it all as well and reveled in it, considered it as one of the perks of the job.

"Okay, there should be three men guarding the building." Jenna informed the blonde through the transmitter.

"_Should_ be?" Cece retorted as she fixed the small earpiece as casually as possible.

"There _are_ three men guarding the parameters." Jenna corrected herself while the computer rested on her lap. She remained in hiding inside the mini cooper as she set up her computer while Spencer and Aria ran off to another building as a back up for Emily.

"Hello, gentlemen." Cece flashed a smile as the men brightened up at the sight of the woman before them.

"Okay, it's party for three, Kahns." Jenna informed Cece.

"Party for three, Kahns." She told the guards confidently and expected them to move out of the door in an instant, but instead one of the guard stepped closer to her.

"I'm afraid we're going to need to see the invitation, ma'am." He said with his deep voice as he crossed his arms above his chest.

Jenna widened her eyes. "What the hell are they talking about? What invitation? No, no, no, no this was—" She pulled up some information on her computer - her huge green eyes skimming over all of the words, scanning for the word 'invitation'. "That's not possible. Cece, you don't need—"

Swallowing hard, Cece feigned a smile and before she could speak, the guard suddenly burst into full laughter.

"Go right ahead in, ma'am." He finally said with a wide flirtatious grin.

"We'll see who'll be laughing at the end of the night." Cece calmly said as his face fell.

Jenna slumped into her seat. "Scumbag…" She grumbled in frustration. "I'm sorry Cece, that was—"

"No need to beat yourself up for it, hon, I trust you." Cece whispered as she headed in.

"What the hell are you doing?!" Spencer whispered loudly at Aria. "Get over here!"

Aria stared at the building sign, sensing a deja vu. There on top was a large 'K' structured, its pretentious architecture that pointed out to onlookers that this building was owned by the Kahns. That fact Aria knew easily as they were the object of the job, but she asked herself why the structure was so familiar when she had never been on this side of the city before. But she knew she had seen the structure before, only she could not remember where or when and for a moment, she wondered if she had dreamed it.

Furrowing her brow, Aria looked at Spencer. "Something isn't right, Spencer. I'm gonna check and see if Jenna knows." She told Spencer before running back to the parking garage. And that was then when it all clicked. Jenna. Aria replayed their unfortunate moment earlier when she had bumped into her and grabbed her phone, catching a glance of the caller's I.D.

"Wha—" Spencer threw her hands and ran after Aria.

Jenna turned off the computer, took out a gun from the laptop bag, and got out of the vehicle, hiding her gun inside her coat. "Too easy." She said to herself as she began to walk down the level, heading off to the elevator.

"Hello, darling." Noel greeted with a crooked smile as Jenna stepped into the elevator with him. "Nicely done." He complimented her as he wrapped his arm around her back, dipping down to kiss her.

"And the girls? What will happen to them in that building?"

"The guys will take care of them." Noel told Jenna who laughed softly.

Pulling her coat, Noel proceeded to remove it off her body and threw it on the floor as Jenna laughed softly, eager to kiss him once more.

Clicking the elevator button over and over again, Aria could feel her heart racing and as the elevator opened, she took a slow step back and furrowed her brow at the sight of the couple kissing passionately, oblivious of the fact that the elevator doors were open. Aria swiftly moved away, hiding beside the wall waiting for the couple to get out of the elevator, and hoping they would not see her.

"Hello? Jenna?" Cece quickly entered an empty room. "Jenna? Emily, you still there? I lost Jenna so I'm blind at the moment. How are you holding up?"

Studying the building, the cameras, the doors, and the sign that indicated a completely different wing of the building, Emily shook her head. "This is the wrong side of the building, all of this! Jenna gave me the wrong directions. Cece…wherever you are, don't go in any further." Emily realized as she backed away from the doors.

"Why? What? What do you see?" Cece demanded.

"We've been set up. Jenna set us up."

"That bitch!" Cece whispered harshly as she took out the earpiece. Checking the room, Cece took notice of the closed window and sprinted for it.

As the footsteps of the couple indicated that they were walking away, Aria hastily entered the elevator and spotted Jenna's jacket, concerned and perplexed by the situation. She pressed the buttons frantically and grabbed the coat, and checked for its contents.

"My gun, you—" She groaned at him. "I'll be back."

"No, you get the car. I'll get the coat. Meet me near the exit." Noel leveled down with her and smiled sweetly. "You've done enough work for tonight." He added and kissed her once more, and she had gotten weak from his charm and could not help but listen and smile for him.

Panting heavily, Spencer continued to run up to the parking garage only to be slowed down when she spotted a familiar subject not too far away.

"Noel? You are not supposed to be here…" She said to herself and in an instant, he had realized that he was not alone in the parking garage and now they were looking directly at each other. "Oh, you've gotta be kidding me." Spencer commented and immediately ran the other way, heading for the stairs as Noel quickly chased after her, aware that they were busted, or at least she was.

The elevator door slowly opened and Aria kept the coat close to her body, and felt for the gun. Furrowing her brow at the incoming sounds, Aria stepped out of the elevator and watched as Spencer ran toward her coming from the second level, and just several feet behind, Noel was sprinting after her.

"Get back in the cooper!" Spencer yelled at Aria who without hesitance began running to the third level. "No! The stairs, Aria!" Spencer added, heading to the right as Aria ran the other way using the ramp instead.

Noel noticed Spencer getting farther away and soon, she had disappeared from the stairs - giving her an advantage so he turned to the left, chasing after Aria. As long as he caught one of the two, it would be enough for negotiation, and better yet, for leverage.

Hearing the heavy running footsteps outside the room, Cece rolled her eyes. " know." Cece said under her breath almost too casually. "Oh, I could really use a nice warm bath right now." She added and began checking the window, studying it for a second before planning her escape. It was a rare occurrence for her to get herself worked up during a job; from what she could recall, it had only happened once or twice and only during her first year when she was still learning.

Twisting the lock, Cece easily pushed up the window and double-checked the surroundings, figuring out that this way out would lead her to the side of the building which gave her the opportunity of avoiding the front door guards, if they were still guarding the doors.

Cece smoothly slipped out of the window, her feet thumping against the miniature flowerbed.

Aria looked back and widened her eyes as Noel quickly began to close in on her. Turning her head back again, Aria stopped in her tracks as she saw the beaming lights of Spencer's mini cooper speeding in her direction. Losing her grip on the coat, Aria glanced back at Noel - his face coated with determined fury, his eyes locked on Aria while she glanced at the coat on the floor just a few feet away.

"Get in!" Spencer shouted at her friend. "What the hell are you doing?!" She went on as Aria ran back to grab the coat, compelling Spencer to get out of the vehicle noticing how close Noel was to Aria.

Fumbling with the pocket, Aria took out the gun and fidgeted with it - frantically attempting to recall how to work it; she had done very poorly with this part during her training and now, she was being tested.

"No!" Spencer cried out as Noel pushed Aria, sending her on the cemented ground and he had towered over her, grabbing her by the shoulders - their bodies, limbs tangled by mutual struggling so much so that they were becoming a blur motion for Spencer. And in almost a fleeting, fluid motion, there came the sound of a gunshot and Noel's body sprawling back.

Frozen, Aria swallowed hard and looked at Noel's body on the ground, a pool of blood slowly spreading around his head. Throwing the gun to the side, Aria covered her mouth and moved away, her eyes glued on Noel's lifeless body.


	3. Chapter 3

**Apologies for the long wait...I've just been really uninspired by Ezria because of their plotline in the show :/**

**But I've finally finished this chapter and thank you for those who take the time to review, many thanks.**

**- Q**

* * *

"No, Spencer, please. I just—I need a drink. By myself." Aria stammered and saw when Spencer nodded understandingly.

"Do you want me to pick you up?" Spencer asked, curling her brow in concern.

"Don't be silly. I'll be fine." Aria insisted, finally convincing Spencer. Getting out of the mini cooper, Aria walked on and entered Sullivan's, a small modest pub on Chapel street, and the only one still open at this hour.

After the failed attempt of the job, Spencer could only grant Aria some time alone, let her wallow in it and perhaps she could reason with herself, and not feel so overwhelmed by guilt even though she _had_ just _killed_ someone - criminal or not; guilt would not be an easy thing to get rid of. She understood how Aria felt, killing for the very first time, but was it monstrous to admit that Spencer had gotten used to it? The absence of remorse after taking someone's life, what would that lack of emotion make her? Would it make her less human? One thing she knew about her friend was that Aria was not that kind of person, the kind who would disregard such a dire event, the kind who would just simply "get over" it.

Washing her hands once more, Aria looked at the mirror in front of her, wondering if she somehow looked different, the way she felt different. She shook her head at herself and walked out of the bathroom, heading for the bar to grab a pint of beer to calm herself.

"Thank you." Aria said softly to the bartender then slowly pulled the cold glass in toward her, studying how the beads of perspiration dripped slowly resembling the pool of blood around Noel's head. She thought now of what they would do to his body or how they could even cover up his death, Noel Kahn, the son of an infamous CEO and also the same man who had ties with the university she was working for, his missing would surely be noticed by many. Placing her hand on her forehead, Aria sighed heavily acknowledging the trouble she made for everyone especially the Board.

"You look like you need a distraction." A voice had interrupted her contemplation.

Looking up in surprise, Aria nodded her head at a familiar English professor, Ezra, who confidently slid next to her with an identical glass of beer in his hand. "I do." She let out and looked at him in the eyes.

Ezra tilted his head and gazed at her for a moment, realizing that there was more to it than flirtation, that was if she was even flirting at all. He could see the crinkle between her brow, something even alcohol could not mend.

"I do too." He simply said.

Aria let out a dry chuckle and drank more, leaving the glass half-empty. "Well, I don't have a car yet so I can't take you to my place unless you prefer walking—" She informed him, knowing that was what he was implying.

"We'll carpool." He smiled charmingly.

Spencer stood still, her posture stiff as a board as Dr. Marin and Veronica Hastings deeply discussed the night's disaster.

Pam Fields walked into the room, her steps heavy and infuriated. "The girls are taking care of it." She announced. "We're clear."

Spencer listened attentively, knowing that_ it_ would be the body and_ clear_ meant that nobody was following them. Watching her mother approaching her, Spencer took a deep breath, preparing to answer any questions that were to be thrown at her.

"Where's Aria?" Veronica questioned Spencer.

"She's—"

"She's alright, isn't she?" Veronica added, cutting in.

"Yes, she's absolutely fine. She was the one who executed it actually, but I suppose she would need some time to absorb it all in—as anybody would."

"Did you bring her home?" Her mother pressed on.

"She's at Sullivan's, having a drink." Spencer answered solidly and Veronica gave her a look. "She insisted."

Veronica then reached for Spencer's arm, giving a comforting squeeze. "Go home, honey. Get some sleep. We'll take care of the rest." She offered a warm smile before walking away.

Spencer furrowed her brow at the sudden affection she had just received from her own mother. The last time her mother called her honey was nearly seven years ago, and it was on her birthday. What possessed her to say it now?

Feeling her heart slow, Aria pulled the sheets and covered herself, progressively feeling self-conscious of her naked body next to his. She wondered why that was, when just moments ago, they were exposed before one another, warm bodies shifting delicately, their burning need of pleasing each other physically as their fingers intertwined and their lips aligned, muffling each soft sound, all owning up to their idea of a distraction.

After pondering this over, Aria began feeling rather shameful of how quickly she got into bed with someone. She imagined Holden now, curious to see how he would react, and she hoped he was doing fine with someone else, part of it was to make herself feel a little justified but mostly because she did care for him and wanted him to feel physically good as she was feeling now.

Aria sat up, keeping the blanket around her body and soon reached down to grab her shirt, pulling it over her head as swiftly as possible.

"You can stay." Ezra finally said, breaking the silence. "I understand it's late…so you don't have to go now if you feel like you're obliged to." Ezra added and watched as she flipped her hair out of her shirt.

Aria looked back at him and licked her lips. "Do you want me to stay?" She asked timidly.

"If you want to stay, you're welcome to." He clarified although there was indeed a selfish need of having her body in his bed, a desperate need for comfort, but he could not say this to her as she was someone he barely knew; but truthfully, he did not want to be alone, not tonight.

"What would you want?" Aria repeated and like him, the idea of sleeping alone after what she had done hours ago, she would not find the peace of mind; she supposed having him there could at least distract her from thinking other things. She could allow herself to be selfish for now.

Ezra propped himself up with an elbow, still facing her. "I'd like you to stay." He admitted and immediately saw her returning to her side of the bed, scooting gently beside him.

After a silence, Aria let out a sigh. "Would you mind telling me something about yourself that I don't know?" Aria began as she kept her eyes on the ceiling.

"Like what—" He crinkled his brow. "A secret?"

"Sure. Tell me a secret." Aria nodded once.

"That would defeat the purpose, wouldn't it?" Ezra remarked, noting that she was avoiding eye contact, and from his side view, her closed lips formed into the shape of a heart.

"That's the point." Aria declared. " Defeating the purpose."

Ezra thought for a second, thinking of a secret that was not too valuable nor too useless to be given away. "I was engaged." He finally said and stared at her, wondering how she would react to such statement.

"Why is that a secret?" She asked, slightly disappointment at his choice.

"Because she left." He told her, surprisingly causing her to turn her head at him. Ezra took some notes himself - did she have a kink for tragedy, was she one of those women?

Pausing for a moment, Aria kept a straight face. "You didn't have to tell me that much. I'm sorry."

"Don't be." He reassured her. "She wasn't worth it." Ezra told himself, wondering if he sounded convincing enough, at least enough for Aria. "And you?" He asked without wasting a second, more than glad to move onto another topic.

Aria swallowed hard and already knew what she wanted to say. _I killed someone_. But she thought that wouldn't be fair to him. That wasn't a secret. That was a confession. "I've only been with one guy my entire life, that is of course, before you came along."

"Look at us—" He grinned at her. "We've already got so many sad things in common." He half-joked.

"What makes you so certain I was sad with being with one guy my whole life? Perhaps I enjoyed it."

"Well, if you enjoyed it so much then how come you aren't with him now?" He pointed out. "As a matter of fact, you're with me at the moment…which is sadder in a way."

Aria laughed lightly, shaking her head at him. "You don't have much confidence in yourself, do you?"

"Why should I? The only woman I've ever been with left me for another man she's known for three months." Ezra confessed. "Confidence? She's stripped it all from me."

Aria lowered her brow at him. He sure had the tendency to be melodramatic. She shifted closer to him. "Don't worry, somebody will give it all back." She reassured him as she allowed herself to wrap her arm across his chest, feeling all barriers falling down - their guard existing no longer because that was what it did, self-exposure and willful honesty were the dawn of a rare kind of attachment between two strangers.

"Thanks." Ezra had to say, as a way to lessen this moment, not wanting it to be whatever it was she wanted it to appear, whether or not she had done so unintentionally.

Serious seemed like the perfect word for what they looked like right now with her arm across his chest while his hand brushing over her forearm. Perhaps they were on the cusp of love which was an idea he did not want to accept, for he had just met her. She was wonderful, there was no denying that, and he was confident that she thought the same for him too, but it would seem like a betrayal, sleeping with her because he felt defeated upon hearing the news regarding his fiancee, leading him to feel the need to find comfort in someone else's company. If they were planning to start something together, then it had to start with a truth and not based on carnal impulse.

As the morning crept upon the apartment, Aria woke up to the sound of her own buzzing phone inside her purse. Spencer. Aria would bet her life on it. She eyed for it, just several feet away on the floor - failing to notice that the other side of the bed was empty. The buzzing stopped after a few seconds, Aria sat up and stayed still for a moment, letting the grogginess to fade away.

"You sleep alright?" Ezra's voice resounded from across the bedroom, waking her from her trance. He stood beside the doorjamb, drinking coffee from a huge mug.

"Fine. Thanks." Aria said casually and flipped over the sheets, finally getting out of bed. "Don't you have a class to teach?"

"MWF only, miss." He answered plainly as he placed the mug on the top of the dresser. "As for you?"

"Five days a week. I thought I was getting Fridays off but apparently not." She said, hinting a slight complaint from her tone of her voice. Technically, however, she _did_ have Fridays off, but the Board would say otherwise.

"It just takes time getting used to, but once you are, having five day classes are actually quite pleasing—freeing in the least, it's like meeting with thirty young psychiatrists without being charged two hundred per hour. You surprise yourself sometimes…before you realize it, you've opened up to them more than you intended to." Ezra gestured at the shirt and shoes on the floor as she nodded, acknowledging his help.

"Thanks for the tip." Aria said and smiled for a bit.

"So, how do you take your coffee?" He offered while watching her put on her clothes.

"To go." She told him as Ezra arched his eyebrows, an intrigued smile forming on his delighted face.

"By the way, if you need help canvassing for a car, I know a friend." He followed her as they both walked out of the bedroom. "You ought to get one soon. There aren't any subways here, city buses are dreadful and are rarely ever on time, and we can't always carpool."

"Bummer." Aria turned around to face him. "I like carpooling." She teased with a grin. "And thanks for the distraction." She added her tone of voice changing drastically as if what they did last night was a scandalous secret, and it was, to each their own, their motivation could be said to be under misinterpretation. And even then, after the distracting, she was brought back to her situation, reminding her that she was still responsible for a dead body.

Gazing at her, Ezra cleared his throat. "We could have grab some lunch, later today…if you want." He suddenly said, not quite knowing what made him think of it.

"Yeah, sure. Au Bon Pain around noon?"

"Au Bon Pain isn't exactly a place for lunch." He smiled crookedly. "How about Ivy Noodle, it's just on the opposite side—"

"I know where it is." Aria cut him off. "I found the little tourist store near the Green…and actually bought and studied the map." She admitted bashfully.

He nodded in response. "Noon."

"The reading assignments are on the syllabus. If you weren't here the first day, there's a copy online." Aria announced for the last time as the students began to leave the room.

Gathering her belongings, Aria turned off the projector and checked her phone, opening an unread message. With a soft tired sigh, Aria checked the time making sure she had time for lunch before following Spencer's order, telling her to check the office for her faculty mail.

Walking into the office, she spotted Melissa sitting behind one of the desks. Their eyes met, forcing Aria to greet her, but Melissa turned away before she could. Aria brushed it off, learning to not take it personally. Melissa seemed to be the only one who was still not warming up to Aria, but as her younger sister explained to Aria, Melissa had been this way ever since the doctor left her, claiming that he was being replaced by her work, and that she was putting their relationship aside. And Aria, feeling sympathetic, only wished that the same would not happen to her. Aria could not blame Melissa for being knee-deep in work and she also understood why Wren decided to leave Melissa. The Alumni was dedicated in the service, and had always been the perfectionist when it came to everything - a way to impress her family, and to prove herself.

"What…" Aria whispered to herself as she checked the pigeonhole meant for her mail. Heaving out another exasperated sigh, Aria double-checked an empty pigeonhole then reached for her bag, needing to call Spencer for an explanation. If this was some prank, she was not in the mood for it.

"Just go meet her in the garage. First floor." Melissa commented, still seated behind the desk.

Turning around, Aria looked at Melissa. "Thanks…" She reluctantly said before heading out.

Spencer straightened up as she saw her friend hurriedly heading in her direction, seemingly irritated.

"Hey, how are you?"

"Annoyed. What do you think?" Aria retorted and gestured behind her. "Having to walk from building to another building isn't exactly a walk in the park, and I have to meet with a friend in—" She checked her wrist watch. "Ten minutes. Great." She tilted her head at Spencer.

"Don't worry, you'll make it on time…especially with this handsome one." Spencer commented as she tossed the car key at Aria who caught it with ease and walked around a midnight black Jaguar Coupe.

"What—" Aria furrowed her brow at Spencer who stood beside the car, waiting for it to be opened.

"One of the many ways of expressing their gratitude." Spencer declared. "Aria, if you hadn't come back for Jenna, we never would have caught them. You should be proud of yourself. _They_ are."

"Spencer, that was purely out of luck!" Aria argued. "Everything about that night was pure luck." She repeated.

"No. Luck is for the incompetent." Spencer countered and walked back to her. "As far as I know, you're perfectly competent. Aria…" She held her friend's shoulders with both hands. "You did good, you acted fast—"

"I _killed_ someone, Spence." Aria whispered, interrupting.

Spencer glanced around, checking to see if they were still alone. "He would've killed you." She stated, looking at Aria once again. "They're bad people, Aria. That's what matters. Look, let's not talk about this here right now, okay? You've gotta meet with a friend right? You'll be late." She reminded her friend, hopefully persuading her to let this subject go. "I'll stop by your place later then we'll talk."

Aria studied the car key in her hand, thinking to herself for a second. Was this how they compensated for the guilt the job brought upon the guilty? Their hallmark way of saying thank you for taking someone's life. And how justifiable was it to say that it was perfectly fine to get rid of someone permanently for the mere fact that they were criminals or had been running an illegal operation behind everyone's back?

The new car stopped to a swift smooth halt near the small restaurant. Aria grabbed her purse, searching for quarters to put into the parking meter. A few moments later, she was walking inside the restaurant, spotting Ezra sitting in one of the tables.

Aria's eyes glanced down at him as Ezra let out a sigh, fighting to ignore the buzzing phone inside his coat pocket.

"I'm sorry…" He finally said, breaking the fleeting moment of awkwardness that his phone had caused.

Shaking her head, Aria smiled. "It's fine. Duty calls." She then added, permitting him to take the call.

"I was hoping it wouldn't." He replied as he checked his phone, quickly furrowing his brow at the number.

Aria studied the look on his face, sensing that whoever was contacting him was an emergency. And who was she to stop him? They barely knew each other, had very little ties to one another - Aria knew that she would not have much power over him, and that he had other priorities than to have lunch with a woman he had met recently, regardless if they had already slept together just the previous night or even if it was just table etiquette.

"We can do this another time, Ezra…" Aria let out, beating him to it just so he did not have to feel bad about dismissing their lunch. "It doesn't have to be now."

Ezra sighed, put the phone on the table, and finally looked at her. "I'm so sorry." He said once again. "Please let me make it up—"

"Make it up how?" Aria cocked an eyebrow, showing intrigue.

"Uh…" Ezra licked his lips. "Dinner. I can cook you dinner tonight." He gestured with his hand while the phone buzzed once more, as if to rush him. "Say at 8? If you're still interested."

Grinning now, Aria nodded. "I'm still interested." She answered.

"I also see you did not waste time looking for a car." Ezra commented and cocked his head toward the window where Aria's new ride remained parked.

Aria sucked in a breath and forced a smile. "I've got a…friend as well." Another half smile.

Ezra nodded. "Apparently, I need to get better friends." He added as Aria laughed uneasily.

Flinging the towel around his shoulder, Holden sat on the bench and listened to his friend's voice as she went on about her day.

"So, I take it you haven't met anyone yet…seeing as you're calling me out of the blue?" He smirked and glanced up to see a friend approaching the lockers. Holden offered a quick smile before returning to his call.

"Is this really all we can talk about? Maybe I just feel like checking up on you. Why, have you met someone?" Aria said and moved around her apartment, unpacking the rest of her belongings coming from the last box.

"No, beside what else are we gonna talk about? Your job? Bore someone else with that." Holden quipped and switch the phone to the other side as he took the towel to dry his wet hair.

"Well, how about we discuss your coming over? When can that happen? Hmm?" Aria arched her brow as she crossed the living room to place a picture frame on the coffee table.

"I've got Tang Soo Doo this week. The last tournament…" He informed her.

Aria shut her eyes and sighed softly. "You're still doing that—"

"Yes, I'm _still_ doing that." Holden cut her off. "Look, I really will try to come visit. This month at the very least."

"Really?"

"Yes. And you can introduce me to him, okay?"

Aria rolled her eyes. "There _is_ no him."

"Not yet."

"How'd you even know?" Aria finally admitted, seeing no point in pretending otherwise.

"Well, Aria Montgomery, I don't know if you're aware of this but you do have the unconscious tendency to avoid subjects when you are guilty of such and attempt to turn the tables around on the other person." He told her confidently.

"Or you're just really good with fishing…" Aria remarked.

"Nah, not into fishing. You can see how disappointing that was to my father back when we lived near the water." Holden joked.

"Just try and visit soon." Aria repeated, her tone becoming serious. "Honestly. It gets pretty lonely here."

"I will, bud." Holden reassured and smiled to himself. "You know, you can always come back if you hate it there so much."

"I didn't say I hated it." Aria said before glancing around her apartment. How could she hate this? A job in Yale University, a new car that she did not spend a nickel on, an apartment that a New Yorker would kill for?

"Must hate it enough seeing as you're calling me again."

Aria sighed in defeat. "You're impossible. Goodbye." She said, hanging up the phone before allowing Holden to let out a self-righteous laugh.

"With all due respect, sir, I've already given my resignation." Ezra said to Mr. Kahn while keeping his back stiff and straight.

He banged his hand on the table, his face red from anger before swiveling his chair, turning his back on Ezra so he could face the view outside of his window. Ezra swallowed hard and looked to the side, seeing Jason DiLaurentis getting up from one of the couches and now approaching him.

"Your resignation isn't being processed just yet." Jason informed him. "In fact, no one is allowed to resign just yet."

Looking at him quizzically, Ezra looked back at Mr. Kahn who still had his back turned. "If this is about Noel…" Ezra began but paused as soon as he saw Mr. Kahn getting up from his chair. Ezra watched on as Mr. Kahn, calmer it would seem now, walked to him.

"You find whoever is responsible for this and you bring him in this room, dead or alive." Mr. Kahn said solidly, his eyes staring directly in Ezra's eyes. "And in return, I will give you Peter Hastings." He added, knowing that the man was the only thing that was keeping Ezra around and the only reason why he ever decided to join in the first place. He wasn't a fool to Ezra's intentions. For someone who had worked in this business for years, Mr. Kahn knew exactly what kept Ezra around.

Ezra clenched his jaw, staying quiet for a moment as if to call out Mr. Kahn's bluff. "Why would you ever do that?" Ezra asked. "Peter's an old friend of yours."

"But he's not my son." Mr. Kahn told Ezra. "So, you find whoever did this and I promise you, you can have Peter's head along with your resignation."

Staring at him, Ezra sighed softly and nodded in compliance. One final hit and he was free to go. How hard could it be?


End file.
